If you are considering a career as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) then you are in the right place.
Wading through endless job opportunities can be overwhelming, so the fact that you are this far along in your career search is something to celebrate.
There is more good news, so hold onto your seats.
The need for recreational therapists is projected to grow at a rate of 7%, which is above the national average. We will see an increased demand in the workforce for therapeutic recreational professionals as the aging population requires more support, rates of autism continue to increase, and with the growing needs presented by the current mental health crisis.
If you have a calling in your heart and a feeling in your gut that you are meant to work in the field of Therapeutic Recreation, then keep reading How to Become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists.
Why become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist?
According to the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC), The CTRS designation is recognized as the highest level of certification within recreational therapy.
Having the certification identifies individuals who possess the necessary entry-level knowledge for competent practice in Therapeutic Recreation. It is highly recommended that anyone who wants to work as a recreational therapy professional pursue their CTRS certification.
In my experience, having my CTRS opened doors of possibility that would not have been available to me otherwise. For instance, I would not have been able to obtain a TN VISA and live, work and travel thought the U.S. without having my certification. Many, if not all the TR positions I have applied for required the CTRS designation. Most importantly, every day I feel that the work I am doing every day as a CTRS is adding positivity and creating change in the world.
This process of becoming a CTRS may push you outside your comfort zone, but myself and the other 17,913 CTRS’ all over the world are here to support you along your journey!
How to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
Now that you are totally bought into becoming a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, let’s review the 3 steps you will need to complete.
Step #1 – Complete your Education
The first step on your journey to becoming a CTRS is to select a school that offers a Therapeutic Recreation program and get your degree.
Currently, the NCTRC requirement for CTRS eligibility is a bachelor’s degree. A few schools also offer Masters/Ph.D. programs in Therapeutic Recreation if you are keen to further your studies in the field.
Click here for a list of colleges that offer Therapeutic Recreation programs.
I completed my degree at Memorial University (go Seahawks). Before I started my academic journey, I ensured the program I was enrolling in would provide eligibility for the NCTRC exam.
I suggest that you do your research and that you ask the right questions to do the same. I highly recommend reviewing the NCTRC Certification Standards with your academic advisor. But here are a few key questions to cover.
- What courses are included in this program?
- Will this program prepare and support me through an NCTRC approved internship?
- Will this program prepare me and support me through the NCTRC Certification exam?
Step #2 – Complete an NCTRC Approved Internship
Now that your mind is full of new information, you are ready to go out into the real world and practice (how exciting).
In order to be eligible to write the NCTRC exam, you will need to complete a 560-hour, 14 consecutive week internship experience. For the internship to be approved, there are some very strict guidelines that NCTRC follows. The NCTRC approved internship will:
- be in therapeutic recreation services setting,
- use the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis,
- be under the supervision of both academic and agency internship supervisors who are NCTRC CTRS certified,
- be highly structured exposed to all CTRS Job analysis,
- require the completion of a special project as well as any academic requirements.
You can check out the NCTRC Student Internship Guide here.
Step #3 – Take the NCTRC Certification Exam
The final step to becoming a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Therapist is to (…pause for dramatic effect…) take the NCTRC Certification exam.
The NCTRC Exam is offered six times throughout the year utilizing a two-week testing window for each exam administration. The exam is a 3-hour test with 150 M/C items that will truly analyze your knowledge on the field of therapeutic recreation.
Listen, friends, the test is not that bad – but you most certainly do need to prepare well. Here are a few resources to help your study efforts.
Equilivancy Pathway
But Meagan, what if I didn’t complete Steps 1 or 2, but I still want to write the NCTRC Certification exam? Don’t throw in the town just yet my friend. Our friends at NCTRC had you in mind when they created the Equivalency Pathway. There are currently two equilivancy pathway options.
1 – Equilivancy Pathway A – Being phased out as of July 2021
A minimum of five (5) years of full-time paid work experience in therapeutic recreation services that uses the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis.
2 – Equilivancy Pathway B – Became effective as of July 2019
A minimum of one (1) year full-time, paid work experience in therapeutic recreation services under the supervision of a CTRS that uses the therapeutic recreation process as defined by the current NCTRC Job Analysis.
If you are keen to follow Pathway B, but you don’t yet have the required Therapeutic Recreation coursework, another option is to can complete a TR Graduate Certificate program. Though the NCTRC’s Pre-Application Coursework Review process you can find out if your current coursework will meet the NCTRC requirements before submitting a formal application.
Read the full NCTRC Certification standards here.
CTRS Certification Considerations
In the words of my favorite Canadian rapper,
“We started from the bottom now we’re here”, Drake.
If you have completed your education, finished an NCTRC approved internship, and wrote the NCTRC exam and passed – CONGRATULATIONS! As a new CTRS, there are a few key things to know.
1. Annual fees – Each year you will need to pay $80.00 (USD) to NCTRC in order to maintain certification.
2. Certification Renewal – Therapists must either pass an exam or complete work experience and continuing education requirements every 5 years.
3. Specialization Application – You can apply for specialty certification in five areas of practice: behavioral health, community inclusion services, developmental disabilities, geriatrics, and physical medicine/rehabilitation.
Do you have any tips, information, tools that helped you become a CTRS?
Any questions, struggles along your path that you would like to ask the TR community?
Post and share below 🙂
